Iran Rules Out ‘Initial Deal’ In Vienna JCPOA Talks

No such thing as an “initial agreement” is going to come out of the JCPOA talks in Vienna, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said, according to IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency.

According to Tasnim, Khatibzadeh in a Monday press conference dismissed the notion of “an initial agreement” in the course of talks in Vienna for the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“No agreement will be made unless all of the conditions are met,” Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying.

Khatibzadeh said the negotiations for resuscitating the 2015 nuclear deal are still in progress, as three separate working groups are dealing with respective cases, according to Tasnim.

“A remarkable percentage of the outstanding issues has been (addressed) in those working groups, while some percent (of more progress) would require political decisions,” Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying, adding that Iran is ready to attend a new meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna if necessary.

The JCPOA Joint Commission meetings are attended by the heads of delegations from Iran, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany. The US withdrew the JCPOA in 2018, but under the Biden Administration has hinted at a willingness to rejoin.